Murder suspect surrenders to police

Published: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 12:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 12:58 p.m.

A Gainesville man accused of murder turned himself in to authorities Sunday evening.

Eddie McCallum, 33, is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he knocked a man unconscious and the man fell to ground, hit his head and suffered a fatal brain injury.

Gainesville police were called to Southern Pines Apartments at 4116 SW 17th Place at about 8 p.m. Saturday, where the men lived. Delquaine Durant, 31, lay motionless on the ground with a wound on the back of his head.

According to a sworn complaint, witnesses said McCallum had approached Durant outside an apartment and punched him in the head without provocation.

Durant, knocked unconscious, fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete walkway. An autopsy conducted Sunday found that Durant suffered a fatal brain injury when he hit the concrete.

GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said that, when police and emergency responders arrived, it appeared as if Durant had a gunshot wound on the back of his head.

“Even the attending ER doctor thought it was a gunshot wound,” he said.

Durant was transported to Shands at the University of Florida, where he was pronounced dead.

Tobias said McCallum had been in touch with the GPD detective on the case Sunday, and he agreed to turn himself in at about 6 p.m. Sunday. He is charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Alachua County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.

According to state records, McCallum has served three prison sentences in Florida since 1997 for armed robbery, drug trafficking and child neglect convictions.

Durant was a former star wide receiver for the Eastside High School Rams football team who graduated in 1999. He went on to briefly play for the University of South Florida before running into trouble off the field and being dismissed from the team during his first year.

Since then, records show he was arrested several times for drug and theft charges, most recently being arrested three times in Gainesville last year.

<p>A Gainesville man accused of murder turned himself in to authorities Sunday evening.</p><p>Eddie McCallum, 33, is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he knocked a man unconscious and the man fell to ground, hit his head and suffered a fatal brain injury.</p><p>Gainesville police were called to Southern Pines Apartments at 4116 SW 17th Place at about 8 p.m. Saturday, where the men lived. Delquaine Durant, 31, lay motionless on the ground with a wound on the back of his head.</p><p>According to a sworn complaint, witnesses said McCallum had approached Durant outside an apartment and punched him in the head without provocation.</p><p>Durant, knocked unconscious, fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete walkway. An autopsy conducted Sunday found that Durant suffered a fatal brain injury when he hit the concrete.</p><p>GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said that, when police and emergency responders arrived, it appeared as if Durant had a gunshot wound on the back of his head.</p><p>“Even the attending ER doctor thought it was a gunshot wound,” he said.</p><p>Durant was transported to Shands at the University of Florida, where he was pronounced dead.</p><p>Tobias said McCallum had been in touch with the GPD detective on the case Sunday, and he agreed to turn himself in at about 6 p.m. Sunday. He is charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Alachua County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.</p><p>According to state records, McCallum has served three prison sentences in Florida since 1997 for armed robbery, drug trafficking and child neglect convictions.</p><p>Durant was a former star wide receiver for the Eastside High School Rams football team who graduated in 1999. He went on to briefly play for the University of South Florida before running into trouble off the field and being dismissed from the team during his first year.</p><p>Since then, records show he was arrested several times for drug and theft charges, most recently being arrested three times in Gainesville last year.</p>